Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1887-05-25

him, lifting very high an immense
cruci6x, toward which the condemned
man strives to turn his terror stricken
face. Alvarez Olivia Is not yet 70
years old, and it was believed that the
savage energy he had displayed IN
committing his crime, together with
his vigorous youth, would give him
strength to face death. But nothing
of the kind is now shown by him; and
really it was too much to expect OF a
man who knew his fate fOrty-elght
hours ago, and who, while listening to
the funeral chants in the prison chap.
Ell, must have beheld all kinds OF
hideous visions passing before him.
This rule of obliging the condemned
to listen during the two nights proceed
ing his execution to an interminable
series of prayers, requlems, De Fro
funds chants, uttered for the repose
of his soul by all his fellow criminals
seems to me something atrocious;
and [ can gee in it g. last vest1ge OF the
ferocious medieval mysticism or
Spain, with all it's unconscious cruelty.
AS | stood on an elevation overlook
ing the scaffold, was able to observe
all the details of the last scene OF the
tragedy. The condemned man me-
chemically yielded himself up to the
executioner. The latter sat him down
at the foot of the post, with his back
to it, and then tied his hands and feet
hard and fast. He did all this with
out hurrying himself IN the least, and
with all that dignified Indifference
which characterizes the Spanish func.
tionary in the discharge OF his duty.
If the preparations had lasted even q
few seconds longer, | believe | should
have lost all of my own self-control.
| could hear my heart humping in
my breast, and every moment or two
something like veil came before my
eyes.
You could not hear even q whisper
in the crowd. While one OF the
priests pressed g. crucifix to the color
less lips Of the sufferer, another was
murmuring words OF consolation and
hope into his ear. But the wretched
man was not listening. His express
sionless face had O. waxen pallor, and
his eyes, as they wandered over the
ocean Of faces before him, already
seemed dim with the dimness Of death.
When the priests had finished the
culprit was brought forward, and the
executioner placed the iron collar
about his neck. A shiver passed
through the doomed mans frame. A
white covering was then placed over
| his face, and, at q signal, the execu-
toner gave three turns to the handle
which was connected with the instru-
ment of death. The bones of his neck
cracked. q long trembling ran through
the whole body, the arms twisted out
ward, the legs inward. Alvarez Olivia,
was dead.
The priests took off their square
caps, as if to salute the soul passing by,
and the executioner removed the
covering that concealed the dead
mans face. That face, which had been
so pallid moment before was now
purple. The tumifed tongue pro-
truded from the mouth and the
| bloody eyes had spurted out of their
sockets. The head had fallen slightly
toward the right shoulder and the
black mitre, with white cross, that
had been placed upon it seemed about
| to fall off.
The crowd ebbed away silently,
evidently much affected, while two
gendarmes with rifles mounted guard
at the foot of the scaffold, where the
corpse was to remain until evening,
when the corporation of female
mourners would escort it to the ceme-
terry OF executed criminals, with long,
piercing cries Of lamentation, like the
] YIN VII VII Of Arab women